The goal for any kids’ recipe is to end up with a tasty food that is easy to make. Instead of heading to the bakery whenever your tot gets a hankering for donuts, satisfy his craving with a homemade treat. Your preschooler will love helping out in the kitchen and may even pick up a few cooking skills along the way.

Preparing the Donuts

The simplest way to make donuts at home with your toddler or preschooler is to use refrigerated biscuit dough. By making a hole in the center of the doughy circle, you can instantly transform a biscuit into a donut. If you are a perfectionist, you can use a tiny cookie cutter or even a plastic soda bottle cap to make the hole. For those who are a little more lax about their donut holes, you can simply poke your finger through and tear off the excess dough.

Cooking

If you do not have a deep fryer, then the donuts cook best in a skillet of oil, such as canola or vegetable oil. The best heat setting on your stove is medium-high, just below the smoking point for your pan of oil. A quick way to determine if your oil is hot enough is by tossing in a piece of the dough to see if it browns within 30 seconds. Golden brown donuts can briefly rest on a paper towel to remove some of the excess oil.

Kids Help

Your preschooler can help with several steps in making donuts, such as measuring and mixing cinnamon and sugar together until creating a light brown and white mixture. After you remove the donuts from the paper towels and place them into a bowl of the cinnamon and sugar, your child can roll them around until they are thoroughly covered. For a final touch of sweetness, let your tot sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the donuts.

Nutritional Information

Homemade donuts are not exactly listed among health foods, but you can certainly enjoy a single serving along with your child without too much guilt. The average donut that you make in your own kitchen has about 120 calories and 2 grams of fat. Not especially high in fiber, these tasty treats have more than 20 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of protein.